Auchenstroan Coloured Ryelands
We are Adrian and Nicole Doyle and this is our web site where we show our life on our small holding and showcase the products that we sell.
Our 2023 felted fleece rug workshops dates are published! For more information about these fun days, please click here: I also offer private sessions, please get in touch for more details.
Latest Stories from Auchenstroan
Our chicks who hatched last summer have grown into big, beautiful hens. It sounds cliche, but it’s hard to imagine they were once inside eggs. When we collected our box of fertile eggs from a local farm last May we were told they were “Black Orpingtons”. I confess, we’re not too clued up on hen […]
Over the weekend while Adrian has been busy adding a shrubbery to the hen run, my job has been to get the veggie patch ready for planting. Spring is nearly upon us and our seeds are sitting in their little packets on the kitchen shelf just bursting to get out and transform themselves into plants. […]
There’s a job we should probably do every year but it usually ends up being every two years or even every three or dare I admit it, every four. This is because it’s not the most exciting of jobs and nor is it necessarily an urgent job. It’s one of those jobs that you can […]
Ten days ago I wrote a story about our hen Pepper who had a problem with her crop which wasn’t emptying properly. Since I whisked her into the vets for an operation at the beginning of January (where the vet found nothing untoward), we’ve been scratching our heads wondering what could be causing poor Pepper’s […]
For a wee while now one of our elderly hen ladies, Pepper hasn’t been quite her usual self. The signs were subtle, in fact, there was only one sign, her tail feathers weren’t as perky as they usually are. We weren’t unduly worried because she’d gone through a hard moult in November along with the […]
Pretty much every night we hear tawny owls at some point. Recently, they have been hooting all around us as we take the dogs out for their evening stroll. For some time, I have been telling myself I should put up an owl box. Back when the weather was warmer and the ground not white, […]
Up until recently we’ve had week upon week of rain, followed by … yet more rain. On a farm or smallholding, where there’s rain there’s mud, particularly where livestock likes to congregate. All through the autumn mud has featured heavily around the hay feeders, entrances to gates and along our woolly friends’ favourite paths. (Did […]
One of the common themes of this blog is the repair of dry stane dykes (dry stone walls). Most of these repairs are carried out in order to keep the sheep in, but some are just because we like these walls and want them to look good. The latest section needing repair was at the […]
In the sheep world, Ryelands are often referred to as “teddy bear sheep”. The reason for this, as you might have guessed, is their striking resemblance to roly poly teddy bears. Most sheep have wool only on their backs, with their faces, tummies and legs remaining almost bare. The Ryeland however has wool all over […]
Every year, round about the beginning of November we start the “hay ceremony”. In other words, giving the little darlings hay for the winter. The sheep let us know when they’re ready for hay, towards the end of October they make a daily pilgrimage down to the orchard and hang around the feeders (usually when […]
Recently you might have noticed a new logo in the corner of our home page. If you click on it, you will be taken into the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Unesco Biosphere’s website. To re-wind a bit, one sunny day back in the summer, I was enjoying a chinwag and a cuppa with my friend […]
It has not been the driest of summers which has had it’s good and bad points. However, it has been one of the wettest of Octobers I can remember. Someone turned the rain tap on and has forgotten to turn it off again. The ground has been turned from firm grassland into puddles. This is […]
Reviews
If you would like to send us a review, please email us your comments or send them via our contact page, many thanks.
Review for felted fleece rug – beigey-grey Scotch Mule
5/5 – thank you again
Posted by Lori on 2nd December 2022
“I absolutely love the new rug you made! It’s really beautiful.”
Review for Jacob wool felted fleece rug
5/5 – thank you so much!
Posted by Rachael Sivyer on 7th September 2022
“Just received my rug, all I can say is WOW!!! It’s stunning 😍 😍😍 ”
Review for felted fleece rug – Swaledale Mule
5/5 – stunning
Posted by Ann Garbett on 10th March 2022
“The rug arrived and is stunning. Thank you for your beautiful, ethical craft”
Review for sheep friendly rugs
5/5 – thank you!
Posted by Nate Holbrook on 7th October 2021
“My wife and I got our rugs and absolutely love them! We appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship and our pups love cuddling on them.”
Review for sheep friendly rug
5/5 – thank you!
Posted by Susie Carter on 14th May 2021
“Just a note to thank you for this gorgeous sheepskin. It has warmed my new home so much and I’m very grateful!”
Review for sheep friendly rugs
5/5 – beautiful!
Posted by Julie Eckstrom on 25th February 2021
They are absolutely beautiful — I keep finding more and more depth in them every time I look at them. And they feel incredible, especially on cold toes in the morning! Thank you so much for these treasures!
Review for felted fleece rug
5/5 – thank you
Posted by Jess Dobkin on 3rd February 2021
Thanks again and again to you and your sheep. This rug is such a special gift for a special occasion that will be treasured for a very long, long time
Review for felted fleece rug – soft cream curls
5/5 – thank you
Posted by Julie McCoy on 16th September 2020
Thank you for my beautiful rug, I am absolutely delighted with it!! It goes perfectly in my room and is so lovely and soft…
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